Sunday, May 1, 2016

SB on Episode 6.2 (for 5/3/16)

SB on Game of Thrones: Episode 6.2 (Blog 16 for 5/3/16)
 The Return of Jon Snow
Initial Reaction
            At the conclusion of the second episode of the sixth season of Game of Thrones, we saw the resurrection of Jon Snow.  Even though there was a fair amount of discussion about the possibility of this major character returning to the series, I was not expecting to see Jon Snow come back this soon.  Further, I was also not expecting to see Jon Snow come back in the same form. 
I thought that if Jon Snow were to come back to Game of Thrones, it would be Jon Snow’s personal identity or soul in the body of another human or animal (and, therefore, with an actor other than Kit Harrington). Contrary to my expectations, Jon Snow (and Kit Harrington) returned to Game of Thrones at the end of episode 6.2.
Connections to Christianity
While watching the scene of the resurrection of Jon Snow, I made a few connections to other books and films.  The scene of Jon Snow’s resurrection reminded me of the classic story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (as discussed in John Bowker’s World Religions). 
Similarities in Duration.  Bowker explained how the character Jesus Christ was brutally murdered and came back to life about two days later. Similarly, the character John Snow was brutally murdered (in the tenth episode of the fifth season) and came back to life (in the second episode of the sixth season) about two episodes later.
I know that, in the Game of Thrones universe and in our actual universe, the time between John Snow’s death and Jon Snow’s resurrection was more than two days.  However, I thought that this observation (i.e., the connection that Jesus came back about two days after he died and Jon Snow came back about two episodes after he died) was rather funny and worthy of sharing.
Visual Similarities.  Also, Jon Snow looked just like Jesus Christ at the end of the second episode of the sixth season.  No, I have never seen Jesus Christ in person.  Yes, I am aware that there are many depictions of Jesus Christ in art that do not align with the white Jesus with the long, dark hair and beard that most Americans and Westerners are familiar with.
  However, John Snow does look just like these latter mentioned depictions of Jesus Christ because John Snow has the Jesus hair and beard.  More importantly, Jon Snow had the wounds (on his chest and midsection) from being impaled and many depictions of Jesus Christ’s resurrection show Jesus with similar wounds (on his chest and midsection). 
As can be seen, Jon Snow, who already looked a lot like Jesus Christ, was also covered in wounds and, similarly, came back about two episodes later.  I am not claiming that Jon Snow is Jesus Christ and I am not in the process of creating a religion where Game of Thrones is an authoritative text and George R. R. Martin is the leader.  Again, I just thought that these connections were hilarious and worthy of sharing.  I hope that some readers will share my amusement in observing these connections.
Tyrion and Varys
            It was great to see Tyrion and Varys, again.  Not only did viewers get to see Tyrion unchain the two dragons, but we were also provided with some insight into Tyrion and Varys’s relationship. Even though Varys continues to tease Tyrion for being small and Tyrion continues to tease Varys for having no penis, I believe that these characters have a strong connection.
            Regardless of their disagreements, Tyrion and Varys respect each other’s intelligence and company.  I am looking forward to future episodes and hope to see more coverage of Tyrion and Varys’s relationship.



Works Cited
Bowker, John. World Religions. New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc., 2006. Print.


10 comments:

  1. Great discussion about the connections between the likening of Jon Snow and the western perception of Jesus's aesthetic. I would definitely agree that there are some major allusions here. I have a feeling this is by design as the show is becoming increasingly driven by religion-based story arcs.

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  2. Great discussion about the connections between the likening of Jon Snow and the western perception of Jesus's aesthetic. I would definitely agree that there are some major allusions here. I have a feeling this is by design as the show is becoming increasingly driven by religion-based story arcs.

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  3. The one moment that had me thinking was when Jon Snow was lying on the slab with the loin cloth--it made me think of the Shroud of Turin and all the mythology about it. But generally, George R.R. Martin tends to treat resurrections more like Frankenstein--think Beric Dondarrion or Gregor Clegane--than biblical myth. I am wishing the new book, Winds of Winter, was out because I have a hunch the rebirth of Snow ties into many other cultures than Christianity. We just haven't seen enough yet to know where they are going with it.

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  4. The one moment that had me thinking was when Jon Snow was lying on the slab with the loin cloth--it made me think of the Shroud of Turin and all the mythology about it. But generally, George R.R. Martin tends to treat resurrections more like Frankenstein--think Beric Dondarrion or Gregor Clegane--than biblical myth. I am wishing the new book, Winds of Winter, was out because I have a hunch the rebirth of Snow ties into many other cultures than Christianity. We just haven't seen enough yet to know where they are going with it.

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    Replies
    1. Dr. Chown, thank you very much for making the connection to Frankenstein's Monster. I was very close to writing about Dr. Frankenstein, rather than Christ. Due to the visual similarities, I couldn't resist.

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  5. We could also see his betrayal and the guarding of his body as loose ties to Jesus. (although, biblically, the guarding was done by Romans, not close followers of Jesus).
    Like Dr. Chown, I'm more interested to see the directions taken with this. How will Melisandre be impacted? And will Jon Snow be the same or different (a la Clegane)?

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  6. I also made the connection between westerners perceptions of Jesus Christ and Jon Snow - The loin cloth was almost too much. Interesting insight into how the show is using resurrections.

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  7. I think the Tyrion and Varys friendship is very pure. They are both just trying to do what they can to make sure the realm is safe and their actions are not horrible. I would like to have a friendship with some like this because they are going to be truthful to one another and make sure that one another is not going to cause harm to themselves.

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  8. ALSO, when Olly lures Jon to the spot where they stab him, there is a CROSS that has the word "traitor" on it. This is a heck of an idea, Sam.

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  9. Ha, yep I can see the Jesus connections, especially when you add Kaelme's and Ace's comments. Tyrion paired with almost anyone decent makes for an interesting duo, though he and Varys are pretty great.

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